Why does Gazprom seem to be making ridiculous claims about our safety pod?

Greenpeace International has a long and proud history of peaceful protests in defence of the environment, but right now Russian authorities are holding 30 of our activists on board the Arctic Sunrise for opposing the reckless oil company Gazprom.

It comes after officials from the Russian security service FSB, armed with guns and knives, abruptly stormed the ship using a helicopter and ropes. Once on the ship, they rounded up our activists and ordered them into the mess.

It was a swift and aggressive follow-up to the arrest of two other Greenpeace International activists who climbed Gazprom's dangerous Arctic drilling platform earlier this week. They're now being held with their fellow activists.

The Arctic Sunrise arrived in these icy waters alongside millions of people around the world who oppose Arctic oil drilling. Together, we wanted to protest peacefully against Gazprom's plans to become the first company to pump oil from the icy Arctic ocean.

As part of this protest, Greenpeace International carried a 'safety pod' to the Gazprom platform to shield the activists from things like water cannons.

According to Russian media reports, Gazprom has described the pod as 'resembling a bomb'. The pod measures 3 meters long by 2 meters wide (about the size of a Mini), is painted in bright colours, and was made following a public competition.

Clearly this is ludicrous. The pod is a big foam tube. Non-violence has been enshrined at the core of Greenpeace for more than 40 years. We engage in peaceful protests to expose environmental crimes. We posed no safety threat.

The same, however, cannot be said for the Russian Coast Guard, whose vessel fired 11 warning shots over the Arctic Sunrise on Wednesday as it demanded to board our ship.

So watch this video of the pod and judge for yourself. Check out the online competition we ran to design it. Gazprom's accusation would be funny, if it wasn't so dangerous.

These are desperate acts of intimidation designed by the oil industry to silence our campaign against Arctic drilling. But we will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced.

This illegal boarding of our ship the Arctic Sunrise will not prevent us from exposing Gazprom's dangerous drilling to public scrutiny. It will shine a light on the special treatment the oil industry receives in Russia. It will fuel the resolve of the many millions of people who are demanding an end to oil drilling in the Arctic.

it is disgusting to see so many idiots writing here. oil companies are destroying the planet and they defend them and using argomentation which is so ...

it is disgusting to see so many idiots writing here. oil companies are destroying the planet and they defend them and using argomentation which is so ridiculous that do not deserve any comment.....
I am more and more pessimistic on the future of the planet but still we must fight...for the planet more than for the mindless gasprom and putin supporters

Greenpeace are our hero's, We need to be educated on all the issues that are damaging the planet.Sometimes it takes direct action to make the world aware of a potential threat to our planets fragile eco system.I personally was sickened by the view of someone threatening a hero with a knife.I would like to say a big thank you to Greenpeace for standing up to such a big company.Wishing all the captive people a speedy release and just remember you are all heros,when most people are sitting there watching tv you are out there risking your life to help the planet.

The longer Russia hold the Greenpeace folks and the more bad things they do to them, the more effective this campaign will become.
For a campai...

The longer Russia hold the Greenpeace folks and the more bad things they do to them, the more effective this campaign will become.
For a campaign that humanity behaves less egocentric and more sustainable to themselves and their relatives.

Yes oil is an important product in our lives nowadays, but at the same time won't we as humanity , Russians included, us all do any good if we consume the fossils that were produced over million of years in less then a couple of hundred years.
We as humanity need to work world wide on sustainable solutions for our energy and our product needs. We have also for the first time of our lifespan as specie homo sapiens the compentences and tools to really to make that change.

So can we please after you Russians got back your dignity again go again back to the table to work together this change for humanity.
No wants to hold of the Russians from a live in dignity, best what we want is to guard that Russians can also still breath fresh air in the future by changing the indirect causes for this, such as the consumption of Russian fossils.

And apart from that, can in this way also the diversity of species that we have today and also essential is for our survival of our own species be saved.

Has Russia lost it's dignity ???? I think they lately have shown VERY much dignity when stopping american agressors from their stupidity of shoo...

Has Russia lost it's dignity ???? I think they lately have shown VERY much dignity when stopping american agressors from their stupidity of shooting around where ever they see a possibility. Do you know anything about dignity of ordinary russian citizens ??? Ever visited the country and taken part in daily life ??? Pollution of air does not know or accept any borders so I am sure that russians will breathe same fresh air than rest of the world. I wonder when Greenpeace will put some of their heroic banners on some chimneys in China..................

I´ve been in Russia. Of course, there have been many that offered a lot to humanity,writers, musicians, scientists, artists. Still, I observed wi...

I´ve been in Russia. Of course, there have been many that offered a lot to humanity,writers, musicians, scientists, artists. Still, I observed with disappointment that most russians today have very little dignity and they are ready to step over no matter what value, just for a bunch of papers called money....

When I read the above lines of these "Hobby Robin Hoods" I do not know should I be crying or laughing........... so much stupidity and naivi...

When I read the above lines of these "Hobby Robin Hoods" I do not know should I be crying or laughing........... so much stupidity and naivity in so compressed form............

The "safety pod" was painted in bright color......... on the video it is bright white!!! Intelligent to choose this color in arctic area !!!! These russians really must be idiots painting a drilling rigg in red and orange color........ nearly not visible in this area............

Does it matter it was build according to public competition ??? Why not lottery ???

............"abruptly stormed the ship using a helicopter and ropes"............ are you jealous you have to use ropes and ladders in your boarding maneuvres ????

You talk about old and dangerous russian technology........from where you have this knowledge ??? Who is supplying the ISS in orbit ??? Who is flying back NATO material from war in Iraq and Afghanistan ??? Russians are doing this with their "desasterous" technology because "World Police" is close to bankrupcy............ EVERY week here are landing 1-2 Antonov 124 on military airport............ :-)

I wonder how much a Green Peace Robin Hood Warrior is earning ???? Or do they live from fresh air and love in the safety pod ???? But it is easy to find out............ in Finland there are public taxation lists, so I will have a look about income of Mrs. Sini Saarela and also follow development of her earnings during the next 15 years she might spend somewhere in arctic........... :-)

What a f... up, welcome to the next episode of Greenpeace-annual drama: 'kids in the Ar...

pirates... what a timely post, correct EoinD?

What a f... up, welcome to the next episode of Greenpeace-annual drama: 'kids in the Arctic'

...or episod 2013: 'how to make life of Greenpeace and other NGOs in Russia nearly impossible'

Thanks, nice job, have a cookie!

Sun Wu, godfather of Rainbow Warrior III and applicant for position of Greenpeace-CEO!

PS: there is a reason why I suggested to attack BP (for being, after Russian State, 2nd biggest shareholder of Rosneft.

BP can be attacked in countries following democratic principles...but I am sure you have been following Putin preparing the stage in Syria...and his politics of the hard hand - autocrats/dictators afraid of loosing power.

For more media attention I strongly recoment Greenpeace to become activ in Syria, Iran or North Korea...

Actually we are watching some sort of a new strategie - Greenpeace-kids playing with the champions-league of unpredictable non-western world...

...and is collecting media attention in the democratic hemisphere. Please donate now, I am sure at least the fundraising department is happy.

PPS: '...Our Greenpeace ships, which spend most of the year sailing the seas...' are you sure?

Drilling platform is a territory of Russian Federation and a private property, so Greenpeace ecoterrorists broke a state border and a law of Russian F...

Drilling platform is a territory of Russian Federation and a private property, so Greenpeace ecoterrorists broke a state border and a law of Russian Federation. You got used to deal with Western enforcers, impaired by your leftist propaganda, but Russian special services don't give a shit about your "protests".
This is what all of you, western left-wing fundamentalists, fully deserve.
Those donations you will get for your "activists" serving a jail term in Russia will not cover your loss of face, next time fight with western companies, who are scared of manipulated western public opinion.

Vasya,
you are absolutely right !!!!! But how to explain to people who have character of being brain dead and think they know ALL of their tal...

Vasya,
you are absolutely right !!!!! But how to explain to people who have character of being brain dead and think they know ALL of their talking is right ???? Boarding a drilling rigg according to their philosophy is ABSOLUTELY right.......... when other people protect their property they start crying like sissies..............
I hope these people will get LOT of time in Arctic to think about their stupid actions................ :-)

I made the mistake of taking a look at the comment section and now I lost part of my faith in humanity.

I know some people don't giv...

I made the mistake of taking a look at the comment section and now I lost part of my faith in humanity.

I know some people don't give a crap about what's happening in the world and how some are trying to ruin it while people don't bat an eye. But that some people seem to be happy about this? About people being held and probably facing jail? People who are trying to protect what belongs to all of us but only a few care about? It's beyond me.

But then again, goes to show why the world is as fucked up as it is. Not only because of the people who sit tight and do nothing about it, but because of those who are against of the people who actually try to do something about it.